The Stupid Things We Do
by kaitlynmarie1413
Summary: When someone finds out that James is an unregistered Animagus, Lily must stop the person from going to the Ministry of Magic and having James arrested. So, in a desperate attempt to protect the boy she loves, she makes a rather stupid decision.
1. Chapter 1

James was livid_. _Why would Lily- _his Lily_- do something so stupid? Did she not use her brain?

He couldn't decide what to do: be mad at Lily, the girl he was hopelessly in love with, or just hold her as she broke down and cried right in front of him. _This can't be happening, _James thought.

SEPTEMBER: 4 MONTHS EARLIER

"Oi! Evans!" yelled James Potter, a seventh year Gryffindor and newly honored Head Boy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Young wizards and witches from all over Great Britain flocked Platform 9 ¾, excited for yet another school year.

Lily Evans, the new Head Girl, felt the butterflies in her stomach start up immediately at hearing his voice. Truth be known, she had liked James Potter for about a year now, but he was always such a prat, that she never could bring herself to go out with him. Since they had first met, he asked her out on a near daily basis, but did so in such a manner that made her want to rip her hair out. He never could get it into his thick head that he should treat her like she was a girl he actually liked, instead of eyeing her like a piece of meat. He was always attention seeking, conceited, and rude to those who were not the Marauders—his closest group of friends—or Lily Evans herself (and he was even pretty rude to her, on occasion). Of course, he never purposefully directed any of his insults at her, but she still witnessed the brunt of his cruelty on more than one occasion.

However, in their sixth year, he had changed. His features became stronger (which Lily noticed first) due to the muscle build up from the intense Quidditch practices he had with his friends over the summer holiday, he seemed far more relaxed and laid back than in their previous years at Hogwarts, and his voice had even changed. Not that it got deeper (that had happened a few years prior), but it just seemed… calmer. He was no longer constantly yelling to make sure he had been heard by everyone within a 50-mile radius, and just seemed to possess a peacefulness about him that Lily actually found quite appealing. Before she knew it, she was head over heels for him, but she couldn't let anyone know. That would spell disaster.

As she turned to face him, the butterflies just intensified. She noticed he was wearing Muggle clothing—a simple t-shirt, jeans, and trainers. But damn, he looked _good._

James smiled at her as he approached and asked, "So, did you get Head Girl?"

Lily shook away the thoughts of how attractive his smile was as she answered, "Yeah. I was so excited when my head badge came in the mail. I'm pretty sure I gave both of my parents a heart attack with the banshee-like scream I let out when I saw it."

He chuckled. James Potter _chuckled_. And it was the warmest sound Lily had ever heard, but she'd be damned if she ever let him know that. She blushed slightly and bowed her head so he couldn't see. Once again, she shook the thoughts from her mind as she realized that he was speaking to her.

"You'll never believe who the Head Boy is," he said with a wink.

"Y-you're Head Boy?" she guessed.

"The one and only." He smiled again. More butterflies. "I kind of gave my parents a heart attack too when I got my badge—and I'm pretty sure my mum still doesn't believe it." They both laughed quietly as they boarded the train. Lily went to sit with her two friends, Alice, a beautiful blonde, and Marlene, an equally beautiful brunette, while James walked off into another compartment to find the Marauders. She greeted her two closest friends brightly and sat down across from them. After exchanging hugs and pleasantries, they all started talking about their summers, each with a different story to tell, although most of the talk was about boys they had met over holiday. When Alice and Marlene had both finished their stories, they looked at Lily expectantly.

The look on her face must have been one of pure confusion, because Marlene asked Lily, "So, are you going to tell us about your summer or not?"

"Oh! Of course! Well, I got Head Girl, and that was about the most exciting thing that happened. I didn't really do much this year."

"Oh please, Lil. We _all _knew you would get Head Girl," Alice jumped in. "What she meant was, did you meet anyone?" A smirk appeared on her face as she said this, which made Lily feel rather uncomfortable. Sometimes it was hard being friends with Alice and Marlene. They were both gorgeous, and often times Lily felt like she lived in their shadows. Everyone (except for James of course) had always preferred one of her two friends over herself, and so the both of them always had great stories to tell about different guys they'd met.

Shaking her head at them, Lily just laughed quietly and replied, "No, there was no one."

Just as she said that, James Potter walked into their compartment. She could feel her heart practically bursting out of her ribcage as he locked his hazel eyes on her and said, "Hey Evans, we should probably be getting back to the Heads' compartment now. I'm sure McGonagall's waiting. You know how she is," he added with a grin. Lily nodded and told him she would meet him there in about two minutes. The second he shut the door, however, was when her friends pounced.

"Merlin, Lily! You like him, don't you?"

Shocked, Lily just stared at Marlene, mouth agape. _How do they know?_ she asked herself. _He was in here for less than thirty seconds! How did they figure that out?_ Marlene and Alice both stared back at her, with identical knowing smiles on their faces. Unfortunately for Lily, the more she tried to think of a way to refute the statement, she knew she couldn't lie to her friends. Reluctantly, she mumbled, "Yes."

"Oh my goodness! It's like a fairytale story!" Alice shrieked.

Lily just quirked her eyebrow at her blonde friend countered, "No, it is _not_. He doesn't know, and he can't know. No one can know. Please understand? Now, I've got to get to the Head's compartment, so if you'll excuse me…"

"Not yet, you don't Lily Evans. When did this happen? Did you two hang over the hols? Are you a couple?" Marlene bombarded her with various questions.

Exasperated, Lily rolled her eyes. "No, we didn't. I'm pretty sure he has no idea I like him. I mean, right about that time I started really crushing on him was conveniently around the same time that he stopped asking me out," Lily deadpanned.

"WHAT?"

"Wait, he hasn't asked you out since the beginning of sixth year! So that means…"

"Yes, I've liked him for about a year. But please, guys, I'm begging you. Don't tell anyone. I'd hate for him to laugh in my face at the fact that he was already over me by the time I started liking him. That would be torture."

Still smirking, Alice and Marlene nodded. With that, Lily left for the back of the train. When she stepped inside the last compartment, she saw Professor McGonagall and James waiting patiently for her.

The old professor cleared her throat as Lily took her seat across from her, right next to James. "Hello, Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," she said with a smile and a nod of her head as she addressed each of them. "I must start by congratulating you both on your accomplishments. I trust you both will take this responsibility very seriously," she added that last part with a stern look showing that she meant business. Lily and James nodded quickly, so she continued, "There are a few things we must address first. Number one, since you are the new Heads, it is the responsibility of both of you to create a rounds schedule for all prefects. This will be due to Headmaster Dumbledore at the end of the month. Official Quidditch practices do not begin until October, so you have time to take that in to account, and I will provide you with a set schedule for each team's practices by the end of this week, so never fear, Mr. Potter. Second, absolutely no foolish behavior will be tolerated. That's not to say you can't have fun; but you must remember to set an example for all the younger students here. Whether you realize it or not, they do look up to you." She smiled warmly at them both, and they grinned in response.

McGonagall paused for a second before continuing, although this time she was watching them very keenly, as if she was waiting for something. "And the last thing. You two will be sharing a dorm this year."

"What?" they said simultaneously.

At the horrified look on both their faces, she resumed quickly, "Not a bedroom, mind you. But, as the Heads are the most responsible and the most privileged students in school, they get to share a dorm. You each have your own bedroom and bathroom, though you share a common room. It has been a tradition at Hogwarts for many years, so I hope that no problems will arise to make us take this privilege away."

They both stared at her with mixed emotions: shock, horror, confusion, glee, and shock again. The professor got up and excused herself, saying that was all she had for them, and wished that they have a pleasant train ride.

After a minute or two of rather awkward silence, James finally spoke up. "So… do you think we can make it work?"

"Make what work, Potter?"

"Living in the same dorm. I mean, I know we've had a rocky past and all, but I'd say we were getting along pretty well this morning, so what's another school year? What do you say, Evans?" he said with a smirk.

"Sure, Potter," she said with a small smile and extended her hand for him to shake.

The rest of the train ride went by smoothly, albeit quietly. Each of the students pulled out a book and tried reading for a while, but soon both minds were steered away from the words on their respective pages and drifted to the coming school year.


	2. Chapter 2

Once the train pulled into the station, James and Lily were able to snap out of their reveries. After all the students got off, they went through each compartment checking for trash or any lost items. They didn't find much, but when they finally got their stuff and got to the Great Hall, the last bit of the first years were being sorted, and everyone had begun to eat. As the two Heads walked through the huge doors, most of the other students looked up. James scanned the room before his eyes landed on his best friend Sirius Black, who was waving at him and Lily rather vigorously.

They both made their way over to their groups of friends—who had rather conveniently sat directly across from tone another. Before Lily sat down, Remus Lupin got up and gave her a bear hug, to the point that she thought he might give her permanent respiratory damage. They first became friends back in fifth year, when they were both elected prefects. Not two months later, Lily accidentally discovered that he was a werewolf. When she told him that she knew, she was scared he'd hate her for it, but he actually took it pretty well and told her it was nice to not have to come up with excuses for ditching prefect rounds every full moon.

He even told her about the rest of the Marauders becoming unregistered Animagi to help him. Since that time, they had been pretty close, and Lily always felt as though Remus was her older brother. She liked that feeling, considering her own older sibling, Petunia, was never as loving and protective as any of her friends were.

The rest of the evening went by pretty quickly. Dumbledore got up and gave his typical speech about the start of term, respecting Mr. Filch's rules, and other things. Once Lily and James had made sure all the prefects took the new first years back to their respective house common rooms, they made their way up to their own dorm. When they got there, they saw a picture of a rather rotund lady, dressed all in blue. She looked to be middle aged, and extremely familiar to both students.

Lily spoke up first. "Er, pardon me, but do I know you?"

The painting looked at them with a smile and said, "Why of course, Lily and James dears! I'm an old friend of the painting at Gryffindor tower. You might've seen me there a couple of times, hmm?"

"That's it!" James exclaimed. "I _knew_ I recognized you from somewhere! So, er… how do we get the password?"

The lady in blue answered, "Oh dears, you create it. It's your own dorm, so you should be allowed to come up with a password all on your own. Now, let's have it. Any ideas yet?"

Lily and James looked at each other quizzically. "Umm, how about Holyhead Harpies?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Really, Potter? A Quidditch team? That's the best you've got? Won't that be way too easy for someone to guess?"

He shook his head at her and said, "No way. I _hate _the Holyhead Harpies, and you don't care about professional Quidditch teams, so no one would ever see that coming. Come on, Evans," he pleaded.

Again, she rolled her eyes, but this time she directed her attention to the lady in blue. She told the painting that their password would indeed be the Holyhead Harpies, and tried not to look at James as he shot her a smirk. _Damn him and his cockiness_, she thought.

Together they walked into the common room. There was a fire crackling in the hearth, setting a warm glow on the deep red walls of the room. To the left, there was an oak table with two benches, much like the one in the Gryffindor common room, except this one sat underneath a large bay window. In the middle of the space, facing the fire, was what could quite probably be described as the biggest couch Lily had ever seen in her life, and an oak coffee table (that matched the bigger table and two benches) sat a few feet in front of it.

To the right was a short hallway, where they both headed. When they got there, they saw two doors, one on the left and one on the right. Above the left door rested a gold plaque that read _Lily Evans, Head Girl_. The same plaque was above the door on the right, except it read _James Potter, Head Boy_. Lily glanced up at James, and saw that he had what could only be described as a look of awe on his face.

"Hey, Potter. You ok there?" she asked. He ran a hand through his already messy jet-black hair, a habit she had noticed him doing since their first year.

He nodded, but at the skeptical look on her face, he added, "I guess it just didn't really sink in until now. Like, you've kind of always known that you would get Head Girl." When she tried to protest, he cut her off with, "Please, Evans. You knew it. Don't even try to be humble. It's not a bad thing, really. You deserved it. I just… I don't know. I guess deep inside I always wanted Head Boy, but it always seemed like Moony would get it. He was always the great student and the responsible one, you know?" He finished with a dejected look on his face.

She couldn't stand to see him like this. He was so…vulnerable. All this over the position of Head Boy? It was almost amusing. Before he could say anything else, she interjected, "Potter, look at me." When he did, she continued, whilst desperately trying to ignore the blush that crept into her face as he did, "Remus isn't here. _You are._ There's no need for you to feel down on yourself. You're a great student when you apply yourself. Everyone knows that. Perhaps in the past you were an arrogant toe rag, and prat, and you broke just about _every_ rule in Hogwarts history-"

"Gee, thanks Evans. Don't sugar coat it, or anything."

At that, Lily gave him a pointed look and continued, "But you've _changed_. The professors obviously noticed, and thought that you must've done something right, or they wouldn't have even considered making you a prefect, let alone Head Boy."

James just stared at her, his mouth agape, and it took a minute for him to actually process a coherent thought. But when he did, the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "My, my Evans. Only _you_ could both compliment and insult a man in one speech; and do it so spectacularly."

Lily tried once again to ignore those damn butterflies as she rolled her eyes at him despite the smile on her face and countered, "I aim to please, Potter. Now if you'll excuse me, it has been a rather long day and I would like to get some sleep before the start of classes tomorrow."

She then wished him goodnight and went inside her room. _I'll unpack tomorrow_, she decided. _The first day of term is always light and easy anyway._ After changing into a very comfy pair of pyjamas, she flopped onto her new bed and was asleep within minutes.


	3. Chapter 3

By the end of September, Lily was ready to rip her hair out. Not because of Head duties or schoolwork, no. Those tasks had long been taken care of. No, the cause of her frustration was none other than James sodding Potter. Two weeks into school, Lily realized just how much she liked him. She thought it would get easier as the year went on, but having every single class with him, sitting with him and his friends at meals,_ sharing a dorm with him_, and finally, having Head rounds with him late at night at least once a week was all enough to drive her bloody mad. No matter where she went, he wasn't far behind. Not that it was his fault, but his omnipresence was becoming rather irritating when it seemed like his feelings for her were nothing more than completely platonic, if even that.

Lily Evans had finally fallen for James Potter, and she had fallen _hard_. Unfortunately for her, fate was not her best friend. The more Lily fancied him, the more she realized that _James didn't like her anymore._ He never looked at her the way he used to, never flirted with her on their rounds, and above all, he hadn't asked her out at all this year, obnoxiously or otherwise.

Moreover, it seemed to get into the head of every boy at Hogwarts, whether they were already dating another girl or not, that Lily Evans was _perfect_ dating material. Whilst James hadn't been asking her out, not a day went by where some boy didn't try to ask her to Hogsmeade, or worse yet, corner her into a broom closet. Every time a guy asked her out, she would look at James, hoping to gauge his reaction, but he either didn't hear, or just walked out of the room. She said no to the poor boys anyway, but she still wanted to know what he was feeling.

One guy in particular, a seventh year Hufflepuff named Amos Diggory, was very persistent. He was good-looking, and Lily even had a crush on him for a couple months back in their fourth year. In fact, if she didn't fancy James so much, she probably would've gone out with him. But, as handsome as he was, he just wasn't James. At first, she politely declined his offer. But he quickly became almost as annoying as James used to be. He was nowhere near as obnoxious or loud as James, but he still drove Lily mad.

One evening in mid-October, James and Lily were on their rounds as normal, except something was up. James would check his watch every five minutes or so. She could tell that he was trying to keep up the conversation as much as possible, but he really wasn't doing a very good job. Lily got so tired of his frantic time checking, that she just stopped and said, "Go."

James stood there for a second, his eyes wide and jaw slack, completely in shock. "Wh-What?" he managed to stutter.

Exasperated, Lily just glared at him. "I said '_go_.' I know Remus is waiting for you. Here, I'll walk you to the door to make sure no one sees you, just in case they're out of bed."

Still gawking, James just silently nodded and followed her. When they got to the huge doors of the school, he grabbed her hand and stopped her in her tracks. Trying greatly to ignore the sparks she felt shoot up her arm from his touch, she turned to him, keeping her face as stoical as possible, and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"How do you know? We've been doing this since second year, and we're painfully careful. We've never told a soul, save Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey. Spill." Apparently he wasn't one to beat around the bush.

The fire in his eyes somewhat scared her, but then she realized that he was just being protective of his friends. She quickly told him the story of how she found out in fifth year, and that Remus told her about the rest of the Marauders. When she finished, he had an unreadable expression on his face.

She continued, "Look, please don't be mad at him. It's not his fault that I found out, and he thought that it was necessary that I know about the rest of you. Neither Sirius nor Peter knows that I know, though. I would've told all of you, but I don't really know them well enough to figure out how they'd react yet."

Then he asked her, "Why didn't you tell anyone? You've always hated me. You could've turned me into the Ministry and gotten me arrested. Why didn't you?"

Lily was shell-shocked. Did he really think she hated him? "Potter, I've never hated you. You pushed my buttons a lot and annoyed the bloody hell out of me, but that was it. Why would I turn you into the Ministry for helping out a friend? Have you gone completely mental?" When she asked the last question, she glowered at him menacingly.

"Right—sorry. That was a dumb question."

"No, Potter, that would have to improve just to be the stupidest question of the century, let alone just a 'dumb question.'"

He snapped his head up to her, only to realize she was just messing with him, and laughed. _Damn that noise_, Lily thought, even though it was like music to her ears.

He checked his watch one more time and said, "I really should get going. I might see you later tonight, depending on how long Moony takes this time." She nodded, smiled, and turned to go back to her rounds when he stopped her. "Wait, one more thing!"

"Yes, Potter?"

He took two steps to close the distance between them and leaned his face down, impossibly close to hers. _Merlin, does he smell good._ As he brushed his nose over her cheek, Lily held back a shiver of delight. Then he planted a soft, warm kiss on her cheek and said, "Thanks for everything, Lily."

Her cheeks were burning, surely from the deep crimson blush that no doubt covered her face. And Merlin, her name sounded good on his lips. She decided then and there that she much preferred him calling her by her first name than "Evans," as he had done all those years. He took a step backwards with a smile and walked out the doors to the school. Just before it closed, she stopped it and said, "James!" He whipped around to face her, one eyebrow cocked. Apparently, he also recognized her use of his first name.

"I know you've done this a lot, but please be careful."

With a dazzling smile, he nodded and answered, "Sure thing, Lily." Immediately after he said that, he transformed into his Animagus, a beautiful stag, and ran off into the Forbidden Forest. As Lily let the door close, she heard a deep, cold voice behind her.

"Well, well, well. It seems Potter has a little secret."

She would know that voice anywhere. It was the incessantly aggravating voice that badgered her for a date countless times a week. _Amos Diggory_.

She put on the most innocent look she could muster as she turned around and looked up at him. He was much closer than she thought, and it really unnerved her. However, she kept up her façade of the powerful Head Girl she made the first years believe she was, and asked him, "What are you doing in the halls, Amos? You and I both know it's past curfew. Get to bed, now."

"And just what is the Head Girl going to do to me, eh?"

"Deduct house points, throw you in detention, report you to the Headmaster, hex you…" Lily listed them off on her fingers.

"It seems as though none of that would work in this situation, though; seeing as if you do any of those things, I'll report him," he said, looking at the door out of which Potter—James—whatever—had just left.

"What the bloody hell are you on about, Diggory?" She hoped her lie would work.

"Come off it, Lily. We both know you're full of it. And I know what I saw. Don't even try to bullshit me on that." _Damn. _Who was she kidding? She had always been a terrible liar.

"What exactly did you see, Amos?" she persisted, dropping the fake innocence. She prayed he didn't see everything.

He smirked evilly at her and replied, "I saw Potter transform into a stag. He's an unregistered Animagus, am I right?"

"Please," she quickly lied—once again hoping that it would work _this_ time. "Potter might be thick, but I don't think he's dumb enough to be _unregistered_. He would never risk getting throw in Azkaban for a late night thrill run."

Unfortunately, Amos bested her. "Really now? Because I know for a fact that you can't be registered as an Animagus until you've completed your education, which means Potter is indeed breaking the law."

Lily stood there, mouth open, hoping some amazing story fabrication would just flow out of her mouth, but nothing came.

"My thoughts exactly," he said. "Wait until the Ministry hears about this, then it's over for Potter."

He turned around and started to walk off when Lily's brain finally began working and she shouted, "Wait! Don't tell anyone, Amos. Please," she practically begged. If James' secret got out, and it was her fault, she would never be able to forgive herself.

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "Who's going to stop me, you?"

She quickly recovered, and pulled out her wand, ready to _Obliviate_ his memory. Unluckily for her, Amos was quicker. He shouted, "_Expelliarmus_!" The spell hit Lily squarely in the chest, and sent her flying a few feet back, into the doors, her wand thrown out of her hand. Her back was in unbearable pain for about a minute, and she could've sworn she broke something, while that wretched boy just loomed over her.

When she recovered, she grabbed her wand again, but this time, she put it into her pocket, knowing full well that Amos was ready for more this time, and she didn't want to go against him again. That didn't stop her from trying to get his attention, though.

"Please, Amos. I'll do anything! Just don't... don't tell anyone. Please," she actually was begging now. However, he turned to face her, a pensive look on his face.

"Anything?"

"Name it."

"Be my girlfriend."

_Shit. _She didn't know how, but Lily did _not_ see that one coming. She said the only thing that came to her mind, "Like hell."

"Then poor little Potter's secret is out, and you've sealed his fate." With an over-dramatic bow, he added, "It's been a pleasure Miss Evans."

Lily's mind was scrambling. She had to think of something. Without any extra thought, she yelled after him, "Fine! I'll do it…" she trailed off when she saw the hungry look on his face. He was eyeing her like she was a piece of meat, and she was repulsed. He quickly took a few steps up to her so that he towered over her, and placed his hands on each side of her head, effectively trapping her with her still-painfully-bruised back against the school doors. Without a word, he kissed her cheek.

She couldn't help but compare it to when James had kissed the same spot, not even a few minutes prior. With James, it was warm, and sent tingles all up and down her spine. It was everything she had in her not to tell him to continue. With Amos, the only things it made her feel were shivers of fear and downright sickness. It was everything she had in her not to vomit.

When he lifted his head, Lily swore he was going to try for a real kiss. Thankfully, he didn't. He just smirked at her again and whispered, "Oh, and make sure you don't tell anyone what's happened tonight, or you'll seriously regret it. It really has been a pleasure, Miss Evans," and strode away from her down the corridor.

Lily Evans was alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Lily fled to the Heads' dorm, barely managing to choke out the password to the portrait between her raspy, ragged breaths, and ran to her room where she slammed the door. She knew there was no way James would be back for several hours, so she didn't care about the noise she made. _I just agreed to be Amos Diggory's girlfriend. Have I lost my marbles? Gahhh! I wish I knew someone who could tell me what to do. _Lily thought of Remus. He was always good at helping her with anything, and she knew that she'd be able to tell him once he got better in a few days, but she wasn't sure she could wait that long. She really needed to talk to someone now. She then thought of Marlene and Alice, but they were both asleep. Lily reasoned that she could wait until morning to tell them.

Carefully, she tried to assess the situation. _On the bright side, _she thought, _he doesn't know about Remus, or even the other Marauders, so they're all safe. Wait! I could go to Dumbledore! But Amos was about to go to the Ministry of Magic. There's no way Dumbledore could avoid that. Hey, maybe it won't be awful. He's perfectly nice- right? Even though his spell had you incapacitated for a full minute, he was just doing it out of self-defense, right?_ Inside, Lily knew that that last excuse was pathetic, but it was the only semi-logical reason she could offer up to herself._ Whatever his reasons, I can't let him get James arrested. _The very thought of James Potter made her sick to her stomach. Although she still got those butterflies that erupted in her tummy whenever he so much as crossed her mind, she couldn't think of him now—not at a time like this. Thinking of him made Lily feel like she was cheating on him or something—despite the fact that they had nothing other than a strictly friendly relationship.

Before she made herself sick with worrying, Lily decided that the best course of action she could take right then was going to sleep, knowing that the only way she would be able to function the next day is if she got a good night's rest.

Sadly, sleep did not come. She got a few minutes here and there, but the rest of the night she was tossing and turning. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to stay asleep. By the time her alarm went off, she was already wide-awake. She quickly showered and dressed, hoping to get down early for breakfast.

She exited the dorm and made her way to the Great Hall, hoping to avoid anyone and everyone. Unfortunately for her, at the entrance stood Amos, leaning against the wall. He was looking very smug when he walked up and hugged her. As she stood there, not returning the embrace, he whispered in her ear, "You better make this believable, or there will be consequences." Reluctantly, she slowly brought her arms to come around his waist, but on the inside she knew she'd rather be hugging a crocodile than this snake.

His words made her shiver with fear. Any thoughts she ever had about Amos Diggory being a good guy were immediately thrown out the window. Without meeting his eyes, she nodded her head and let him grab her hand to lead her to the Gryffindor table. Lily glanced up at the end of the table closest to the staff—where she and her friends (now routinely with the Marauders) typically sat—and saw Marlene give a small wave. Instinctively, she headed over there, but Amos's death grip on her hand stopped her short.

"No, _darling_. We're going to sit with the Hufflepuffs, where I always sit. There's no need to sit with the Marauders anymore." He must be joking, right?

How did he know she sat with them at meals? More importantly, how did he know that's what was on her mind? "Amos, we're supposed to sit with our own houses. You can't avoid that."

At the stern look he gave her in response, she shut up. She wasn't sure how convincing she'd be able to be, but tried to mask her hurt quickly as she responded, "Fine; I'll sit with you. How silly of me to think that I could do otherwise."

He squeezed her hand harder, and she whimpered. He was pretty close to breaking a bone. "Don't sass me, Evans. Not if you want this to work." She promptly jerked her hand from his vice grip and plopped angrily onto the bench at the Hufflepuff table.

He shot her the most irritating smirk she had ever seen and sat down next to her, so close that their thighs were touching. At the contact, Lily nearly jumped out of her skin. He was cold, and sitting so close to her was creeping her out. She wanted absolutely no part of this- this _prat_ to touch her. But, for the sake of keeping James' secret, she would deal with it. This was going to be difficult. Suddenly, she heard someone behind her. Only, it wasn't just any someone, it was James.

"Hey Evans. How come you're sitting over here?" His eyes flicked between her and Amos, in a silent question. What was she supposed to say? _Oh, sorry James. I can't sit with you guys today. I'm just eating with this slug who forced me to be his girlfriend in order for me to save your secret because I have an awful crush on you and I'd really hate it if you were thrown into Azkaban._ Probably not the best idea to say that.

But, before Lily could offer any explanation, Amos just had to open his big mouth, the arse. "She wants to sit with her _boyfriend_, Potter. Isn't she allowed?"

James looked utterly dumbfounded for a second. The look on his face reminded Lily of her very own when she first met Vernon Dursley—her sister Petunia's boyfriend. No one could believe it. The man was a whale.

Again, James glanced from Lily to Amos and back to Lily again. Only the second time he looked at her, something flashed in his eyes, but it was so quick that Lily couldn't tell what it was. She wrung her hands together, not able to think of anything to say. Finally, she came up with, "Umm, sorry Potter. But like Amos said, he's my b- _boyfriend_…" The word almost made her hurl. "So I should probably sit with him. But hey, it's not the end of the world. I'll see you lot in class…" She tried to sound lighthearted and gave a small smile, but knew she had failed miserably when it came out as more of a grimace than anything.

"Oh, ok then Evans. Be seeing you." And with that, James walked to the opposite end of the hall, straight to the Marauders and Lily's own friends. He saw him say something to them, although she couldn't tell what it was. Not a second later, they all whipped their faces around to stare openly at her and Amos. Immediately, Lily ducked her head and tried to focus on the food in front of her, but she had lost her appetite.

She looked at the boy sitting next to her and said, "Amos, I'm done eating. I think I'm just going to head to class early today, okay?" She desperately hoped he'd let her alone so she could think.

"Of course, Lily dear," he replied. After that, he added in a harsh whisper, "Don't talk to Potter in class. Trust me, I've got eyes and ears all over this school, so I'll know if you did. Got it?"

She solemnly nodded her head before she grabbed her bag and walked off towards the dungeons for Potions. _How am I not supposed to talk to James? He's the Head Boy, for crying out loud. We share a bloody _dorm_, Amos. Are you that thick that you never thought of a problem as obvious as that?_ She thought to herself.

The next day, she made it a point to tell Amos that she wanted to sit at meals with her friends. He was wary at first, but after she tried to convince him that she did not want to arouse suspicions in her friends, he seemed to take the bait. With a heavy sigh of both joy and relief, Lily made her way over to her friends at breakfast, and plopped herself down between Marlene and Alice. Before she even finished filling her plate though, the inquisition began.

"Wait, so since when do you like Amos Diggory?"

"More importantly, why do you like Amos Diggory?"

"He's a twit!"

"Twittiest!"

"Twittiest isn't a word, Mar," Alice spoke up.

"Oh, hush, you. You both know what I meant," Marlene said as she waved Alice's comment off. "What possessed you to go after him?"

"Do you really think he's that cute?"

"Wait, are you just trying to make James jealous?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Lil. Marlene has a point. Whatever happened to James? The last time I saw you two in the same room together, you were each pining over the other like there was no tomorrow!" Normally, Lily would have slapped a firm hand over her friend's mouth for saying something like that out loud, but the Marauders weren't at breakfast yet, and there was no one else sitting at their end of the table, so she just dismissed it. She was too tired to fight with them, anyways.

"She's right, you know. It came to a point where Sirius and I were taking bets on who would make the first move." Lily glared at Marlene for that one. Finally, she had to admit that she really couldn't avoid her friends' questions for long.

"Look, you two. I really like him. At first, I did like James, but I know that he's gotten over his stupid school-boy infatuation with me, so there's no point in hoping that he'll still want me. James never _pined _over me, so stop saying he did. It was never going to happen anyway. Besides, Amos is a-" she almost couldn't get the next part out. "He's really a sweet guy, and he obviously likes me. He wants to be with me. What's the matter with that?"

"What's the matter?" Marlene shrieked, causing a few fifth and sixth years down the table to look in their direction. "The matter is that you've agreed to date a guy you hardly know, and don't even like just because _he _likes _you_? That's crazy!"

Lily lost it. She really tried to not get angry with her friends; after all, it wasn't their fault she was in this mess. But, she just couldn't take it anymore. "Yes, Marlene. It's absolutely crazy that a guy is actually interested in me. Even a guy who is not James bloody Potter. You're right, I hardly know him, but isn't that what dating someone is all about? To get to know the person better? And anyway, I'm not marrying the kid! We haven't even been on one proper date yet! The bottom line is, James is over me. Stop trying to discourage me from trying to get over him!" She felt awful lying to her friends, but the damage was done.

The two girls on either side of her sat there in shock. They couldn't believe that Lily Evans had just exploded at them like that. Had the world turned upside down?

The trio ate the rest of their meal in total silence.


	5. Chapter 5

About a week before the majority of the Hogwarts students were to go home for Christmas is when all hell broke loose. A Monday night, during the full moon, James went out as usual to go help Remus with his transformation, and Lily needed desperately to study for her Transfiguration exam. She was sitting at the table in the Heads' common room, nearly done with her three-foot essay parchment of notes for McGonagall's class, when she heard a loud banging on the door. _Who could _that _be? James? No, he's off with the Marauders, and he knows the password anyway, so maybe it's Alice or Marlene? No, they both value sleep too much to come visit me at this hour. Professor McGonagall maybe? Oh, Merlin! What if something's happened to one of the Marauders?! _

Still in her rather disheveled and now likely not presentable school uniform, she got up and rushed to the door, only to be both relieved and extremely disappointed at once. In front of her stood none other than her slime ball of a boyfriend, Diggory. She tried to smile pleasantly when he walked in, but she couldn't help but feel rather irritated. What was he doing here? Lily checked her watch, and the time read 12:17am. It was exactly an hour and seventeen minutes past curfew. What could he possibly want at this time of night?

"Amos, what brings you here?" she asked in what she hoped was a polite tone. She knew his temper, and knew fully well that if she voiced her true thoughts on his presence in her common room that there would be terrible repercussions. He didn't respond as he sat down on the massive black couch in the middle of the room. Confused, Lily shut the door and also sat down, but made sure to distance herself from him as much as she could while still remaining on the sofa.

When she sat down, Amos turned to face her, with a funny look in his eyes. Before she could ask what was up, he pounced. His lips came crashing down onto hers, and she had no idea what to do. It wasn't the first time they'd kissed, or their first snogging session. About a month into their relationship, he had demanded that she treat him like she would any other boyfriend, broom-closet snogging sessions included. It was revolting, and this time was no different.

On one particular occasion, she had tried to slide his hands up her skirt. She literally bolted out of the broom closet and ran like hell to get as far away from him as possible. Thankfully, he had not tried anything like that since then.

However, what Lily still couldn't wrap her head around was this: why was he here? Surely he wouldn't have come all this way across the castle in the middle of the night just to kiss her, right?

That's when the realization smacked into her like a ton of bricks. _He didn't just come here for a kiss,_ Lily thought. _He came for…more._ That last thought made her shiver with fear. No sooner had the reality come crashing into her, she felt something on her chest. Reaching for it to brush whatever it was away, she felt Amos' hand trying to undo the top button of her school blouse.

Shocked, and rather terrified, she broke away from him quicker than a lightning bolt. She would never, _ever_, be ready for…_that_. He wouldn't force her to do anything drastic, right?

As his eyes met hers, she suddenly wasn't so sure. He eyed her hungrily, and Lily had half a mind to hex him into oblivion right then and there. Instinctively, she reached for her wand, only to realize that she had put in on her dresser in her room about two hours earlier. _Bloody hell, _she thought.

Before he could kiss her—if anyone could even call it that—again, she stood up, slowly backed away from the couch, and said to him, "Amos, I'm- I'm really not ready for something like that. Please don't make me," she pleaded with him.

"Lily, I'm your boyfriend. It's my job." _His job? HIS. BLOODY. JOB?!_

"Well, Amos, I'm saving myself until marriage; so no, it's actually not your bloddy job, you royal twat." The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them, her sassy attitude their accompaniment. She tried to cover her mouth, but he beat her to it. With a resounding crack, his palm made solid contact with her cheek. He hung over her like a mountain as she crumpled into a heap on the ground, clutching her face. He had just slapped her, damn it!

She glared up at him, ready to fire an insult at this pathetic-excuse-of-a-wizard-absolute-pain-in-the-arse-life-ruining-wanker when he growled at her, "Don't you ever speak to me like that again. I deserve a little more respect than that, Lily Evans." _Like hell, _she thought. _You just hit a seventeen-year-old girl across the face. Respect my arse._

Once again, though, instead of giving him a piece of her mind, she let him win. _Is it really worth James' safety? _She knew the answer to that question before she even asked herself. The answer would always be yes, absolutely yes, that everything she could possibly do to protect him would be worth it. "Fine, Amos," she spat.

"You know what? I'm done with you. Have a nice life, Evans." _Bloody hell._

"Wait! Please, don't go! I'll- I'm sorry just… don't go yet." He stopped and turned to face her, his raged barely contained on his face. She quickly said, "Please, Amos. There has to be _something _else you'd want from me. Isn't kissing you enough? Besides, you've already…touched me. And you know how I felt about that. This is getting out of hand."

"Lily, if you want, all of this can end now. Just say the word, and Potter will be in Azkaban in a week," he said with what was the most sardonic grin she had ever seen.

Resigned to the seemingly inevitable, Lily sighed morosely. "I can't believe I'm saying this, then, but give me time to think about it. But, just not tonight, alright? I'm so bloody tired and we've got exams this week that I really need to study for."

"Fine then. I'll be back on Friday night around 11:30. You had _better_ have an answer ready for me then. Understand?" At his words, Lily couldn't help but shed a few tears. They began to get so thick that she couldn't see after a few seconds. Reluctantly, she nodded her head, and heard him walk out the door.

Once again, Lily Evans was alone.


	6. Chapter 6

By Friday, Lily snapped. Every single time Amos Diggory…_leered_ at her, she became more and more terrified of what was going to happen when he came to her dorm. What if she decided to end it, and he didn't take "no" for an answer? She could hardly focus during her exams. All day she was on edge, and when Sirius Black and given her a friendly pat on the back in greeting at breakfast, she nearly jumped out of her skin in terror. She decided that she needed to talk it out with the only friend she had who would know exactly what to do: Remus Lupin.

As she entered Potions class on Friday morning, she took note of where Remus was sitting, that way she could send him a note in a bit. Slughorn always gave them about twenty minutes before each exam to prepare, so she could send him a note without getting caught before the exam started.

_Meet me in front of the Heads' Common Room entrance immediately after Potions. I need to talk to you about something important. ~LE_

She quietly mumbled a quick spell that would make her message appear on his paper instantaneously, so she knew there'd be no way he could miss it. Within a minute, a response appeared on her parchment:

_Dearest Lily, we have a free period next, but as I recall, you were going to spend it studying for Transfiguration. Or does our Head Girl think she's too good for McGonagall's class to actually bother studying? ~RL_

_Remus, you and I both know fully well that Transfiguration is my worst subject. _

_Then what's all this about that you'd be willing to miss studying for it? I know you, Evans. You'd never skip the chance to improve yourself, least of all the one class you're terrible in. _

_Meet me after Potions and you will find out._

_I don't know about that, Lil. I was hoping to study for Ancient Runes. _

_I'm serious, Remus. _

_No, you're Lily. Sirius is sitting over there next to James._

_I hate you._

_You love me._

_Please, Remus. I _need _your help. And besides, I'm the bloody Head Girl. What are they going to do to me? Take away my badge? At this point, I'd willingly give up the position if it meant you could help me. _

After that last message, she tried to look over again at Remus to gauge his reaction, but James and Sirius were leaning over their desk, arguing in hushed tones. Lily vaguely heard something about James having borrowed something from Sirius and not giving it back—after all, they were only at the table next to hers, so it wasn't that hard to catch bits of their conversation. She craned her neck, finally able to see her note recipient's eyes widen to the size of saucers. She could tell he knew then that Lily Evans meant business.

Following what seemed to be the longest potions exam in the history of Wizardkind, class was finally let out. Unfortunately, in her mad rush for the door, she wasn't really paying attention to the people around her, and ran smack into Sirius. He did not seem to notice that they had collided, however, because he kept running, off to Merlin-knows-where. After taking a second to gather herself, Lily went into her room to put her stuff down, since she didn't know how long this would take. She then walked out waited on the couch for Remus. Thankfully, only a few minutes went by before she heard a knock at the door. She jumped up to get it, and ushered Remus in and guided him to sit with her on the couch.

"So, Lily? What's all this about? I'm starting to get really worried about you."

As she faced him, Lily took a deep breath, so that she wouldn't lose her nerve to tell him everything. And tell him she did. She told him from the moment Amos Diggory started asking her out up until their meeting in the dorm on Monday night. When she finished, Remus had a mixture of several different emotions behind his eyes—anger, hatred, fear, anger, worry, shock, and anger all over again. After a while, he spoke, and she could hear the rage in his voice.

"Lily Evans, _are you bloody mad?_ He could have done something far worse to you than snog you by now, and by the sound of things, that's exactly what he's planning on doing when he comes here tonight! Regardless of what you tell him! Lily, I love you, and you know that, but you are far too smart to do something this _stupid_! Merlin, we need to go to Dumbledore. Now."

He stood up, about to walk to the door, when Lily panicked. "No, Remus! Don't! Please! You don't understand-"

"I don't understand? I DON'T UNDERSTAND? Damn it, Lily. You've been trapped for the past three months into a life you don't want and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. I should understand _that_ more than anyone. Don't you dare tell me I don't understand what you're going through." He was breathing heavily at that point, and his words hit her like a speeding train. He was right; out of anyone in the world, he was the only one who could ever possibly understand.

"You're right, Remus. I'm sorry. Please forgive me; just don't go to Dumbledore. I'm begging you." There were tears welling up in her eyes. "Do you know why I agreed to date Amos?"

"So you could protect me and the other Marauders. You told me that."

"No. Well, yes; I would've done it anyway if that were the situation, but that's not what I said. Amos only saw _James_ transform into his Animagus. He only knows about Potter, not the rest of you. Even though it's only one of you, I couldn't bear it if James got thrown into prison when there was something I could have done to stop it."

At this, he sat back down on the couch. "Damn. Unregistered Animagi get locked in Azkaban, don't they? This is why we have to go to Dumbledore, Lily. He'll think of something to do."

"Like what, pray tell? Diggory has threatened to go to the _Ministry_ over this. What power could the Hogwarts Headmaster possibly have over them?"

"It's worth a shot!"

"If it means risking James' safety, it's not."

Realization dawned on her friend's face. He looked her dead in the eye and stated without a shadow of a doubt, "You love him." The intensity of his gaze offset her, and she barely managed to get out a response.

"Of course I do, Remus. He's my friend. I love you, too."

"That is not the kind of love that I meant, Lily Evans, and you damn well know it." She winced at his use of her full name, prepared for another onslaught of profanities and lectures, but none ever came. "It's about bloody time. Merlin knows he's been pining after you like a school girl—no offense—since our first year."

"Oh, bullshit Remus. We both know he's over me. He hasn't asked me out since last _year_. He hardly even talks to me anymore, unless it's concerning Head duties." Lily felt hot tears begin to prick her eyes once again. Goodness, she was getting emotional over a _boy_. Granted, it was the most gorgeous boy she'd ever seen, the boy who had chased after her for years, and the boy with whom she was undeniably and irrevocably in love, but still. Oh, who was she kidding?

"Merlin, you're dafter than I thought if you think that's true." At the look of utter confusion that spread across her face, he elaborated, speaking slowly as though conversing with a small child. "Put the shoe on the other foot, Lil. I can tell you're in love with him, so don't bother denying it. How would you feel if he started dating some slag that he convinced everyone he really liked? You'd be heartbroken, and you'd likely pull the same stunt he's pulling now. You'd avoid him at all costs, considering she'd be stuck to him like Sirius gets stuck to food."

"Amos wasn't stuck to me-"

"Yes, he was. Anyway, you'd probably avoid him as much as possible so that you wouldn't have to see the two so 'in love' all the time."

She still had a hard time believing it. Did James really still care for her? What Remus was saying made sense, but she wasn't wont to get her hopes up if it turned out that he was wrong.

"Look, regardless of whatever you think James may or may not feel for me, I still have a problem. How do I get rid of Amos? Remus, you know I'd never admit being scared to anyone, but he terrifies me."

"Well, I still think that we should go to the Headmaster, before Amos figures out what's up. You never know, Dumbledore might be able to think of something."

"I want to, but I don't see how it can be done."

"Fine, Lily. Have it your way. But please, for the love of Merlin, tell the kid no. The Ministry has no proof that any of us are what we are. James is a big boy. He can hold his own against some Ministry suits."

"I'm not going to chance it."

"Merlin, you're stubborn." When he said that, they both stood up, and Lily came right up to him to hug him. He immediately squeezed her back, and she knew then that he would always be there for her.

"I know," she mumbled into his chest. "Promise me one thing, Remus."

"Yes, my dear Lily?"

"Don't tell anyone what I've told you."

She heard and felt him sigh heavily. "Very well. I promise I will not tell anyone."

"Thank you. I love you, Remus." With that, she leaned up on her toes and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Aw, stop it, you. I'm blushing," he said jokingly.

"C'mon, let's get to lunch. I didn't eat breakfast this morning, and if I miss this meal, I'll absolutely lose what's left of my mind."


	7. Chapter 7

As Lily and Remus approached the Great Hall, she heard a multitude of voices—lunch had already started, of which she was extremely grateful. This would save her empty stomach the wait for precious food. Both students took their places at the table, where they typically sat with their friends. James looked up as he heard them approaching, and eyed the two skeptically, but said nothing. Marlene, one the other hand, spoke up.

"Where were you two? I tried finding you so we could study together, Lil. What happened?" Lily really felt sorry for standing up her friend. She knew that it mustn't have been easy to study alone, especially since Marlene had the attention span of a gnat.

"Sorry, Mar. Really, I am."

"Sorry from me, too," Remus chimed in. "On the walk to class, Lily twisted her ankle on the stairs, the wonderfully graceful femme fatale that she is. I, being the wonderfully fantastic knight in shining armor that I am, helped her to Madame Pomfrey."

Lily was in shock. She had no clue that Remus could lie so easily and make it look so effortless. Although right at this moment, she was just unbelievably thankful that he could, because she certainly had no excuse as to why they were gone.

"Did it hurt that bad?" At the sound of James' voice across from her, she whipped her head to him so fast she thought she might have given herself whiplash.

"Sorry?"

"I just asked if the pain was that bad. Your eyes are red, like you've been crying. I didn't know that a twisted ankle could hurt that much." _Bugger._ Now what?

"Oh, well…" she scrambled for something, anything. "It was partially that, but mostly because I was just freaking out way more than I should have. It was pretty painful, but I think I was honestly more concerned about how I was going to miss studying for the one class that I desperately needed—everyone knows I'm crap at it."

Her friends, save James, all laughed. He just smiled a bit, but it didn't reach his eyes. Lily prayed to Merlin above that he bought it. She didn't want him pestering her with questions that could be potentially dangerous. It was just then that to the left of James, Sirius was sitting there, frantically writing a note. She was just about to ask him about it, when Peter beat her to it.

"What are you doing, Padfoot?" The only response was a grunt. In return, Peter just rolled his eyes and went back to ignoring him.

Lily, on the contrary, kept watching him. She saw him stop, hold up the note has if to examine it, and then with a nod and a grunt of satisfaction, he placed it back on the table and tapped it with his wand, making it vanish. After this, he looked right at her, like he knew she had been watching him the entire time. His eyes narrowed at her for a brief second, although she couldn't discern why. Was there something wrong with her face?

Uncomfortable under his stern gaze, she looked away as Alice started talking to her about her family's upcoming vacation for the Christmas holiday. Apparently, they were headed to their home in France to visit family.

Lily wasn't sure how, but somehow her eyes were inexplicably drawn to James; which was a terrifying thing, considering he apparently felt drawn to look at her, as well. Their eyes locked, and she was hypnotized. She literally thought that her heart, in a split second, would beat right out of her chest. Her stomach was currently trying to digest itself due to all the flipping it was doing.

Then, she heard a sound coming from the spot next to James. It was Sirius coughing. She looked him dead in the eye, knowing that he had caught her staring and "coughed" on purpose. James asked him if he was all right, but Lily knew better. What did Black have against her looking at James? It wasn't like she was ogling him…wait, was she? For a brief moment, she forgot that the person at whom she was shooting daggers was afraid of absolutely nothing and no one, so it shocked her that he didn't immediately back down under her penetrating glare and go crawl into a corner somewhere. Once again, she had to tear her eyes away; she didn't want her friends thinking that something was up. But she could still _feel_ him studying her. Although still, she had no clue why. After a few minutes of suffering through it, she decided she just couldn't deal with it anymore and excused herself—she made up some lie about wanting to get to class early.

Unfortunately, she didn't get very far. Right as she went to turn a corner, a strong, rough hand grabbed her tightly by the arm and dragged her into a dark corridor—one that was not really well traveled. As she felt her back slam into the wall and a big, dark shadow pass in front of her face, she knew then that it could only be Amos.

"Where the hell were you in your free period?" he spat.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about, Amos?" she spat back at him. "You had a Divination exam. How would you possibly know where I am throughout the day? Do you have a camera following me around?"

"A what?"

"Never mind. It's a damn Muggle thing. Who says I wasn't in Transfiguration?"

"Marlene's a loudmouth. If she tried to whisper, I'm pretty well sure people would still be able to hear her in China."

"Well, then. If you heard her, I'm almost positive that you heard the reason as well. I twisted my ankle going up the stairs and Remus helped me to Madame Pomfrey."

"That's funny, considering my friend was sick and was with Madame Pomfrey all morning—and didn't see you at all. Please, offer me up an explanation for that."

_Fuck. Bloody hell. Merlin's beard. How the HELL am I supposed to do anything without this guy finding out?!_ Lily thought. She was in mid panic mode right now. What was she going to say to him?

Then all of a sudden, it just rolled out of her mouth before she could stop it. "Look, I actually was with Remus Lupin. He said he wanted to talk about something pretty important, friend to friend, and he thought I'd be the best choice."

"Bullshit, Evans. Do you really think I'm stupid? He's got three best friends to go to. Why would he ever come to you?"

"He needed a girl's advice. I'm the only girl he trusts, and he didn't want anyone to know what we were talking about."

She wasn't sure how, but he managed to buy that. _Thank Merlin_. When he finally released her, she could feel the pain in her wrists where he had been restraining her, and in her shoulders, where she had been practically thrown against the wall. That was certainly going to leave a mark.

As she began rubbing her wrists, he grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. He said, "I want you to think long and hard about tonight. I'll be by at the time I said to get your answer." She jerked her face from his hand so he wouldn't be touching her, but in the process she smacked the back of her head against the wall she was pinned against a minute ago. It hurt so badly, and she felt hot tears begin to sting her eyes. She was really starting to get sick and tired of crying almost every single time he was in her presence. He laughed at her, and then leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I can't wait for tonight."

With that, he walked off back down the hall. As the tears finally flowed freely, Lily thought she was going to vomit.

* * *

**A/N: Hey y'all. I normally HATE author's notes at the end of chapters, but I just wanted to say, thanks for those of you who have been leaving reviews! Please keep reviewing, and if you haven't reviewed yet, then let me know what you think. That's all!**


	8. Chapter 8

When Lily finally got to the Ancient Runes classroom, no one was there yet. That wasn't all that surprising, considering the fact that lunch wasn't over yet, and hardly any students actually cared about showing up to class _early_, even if it was an exam. Besides, students had ten minutes to get to their respective classes after lunch ended, so many spent their time chatting in the hallway. Lily took her seat at the front like always and tried to block out what just happened in the halls just minutes ago. She looked down at her wrists and noticed with horror that they were already bruising. What was she to do? She didn't have any makeup with her, and she didn't know any spells that could cover up blemishes.

Then she remembered she brought her sweater with her! It was sort of chilly in the castle anyway, so no one would think it a big deal if she wore it. She pulled it on hastily just in case someone happened to come in—she didn't want someone seeing something they shouldn't.

After she got out her quills and parchment, she heard the door open, and in came the booming laughs of Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter. Sirius and Remus sat at the table directly behind her, and so James, for the sake of being close to his friends, simply chose to sit next to Lily. _Bloody fantastic_, Lily thought. Peter went off to sit next to some Ravenclaw girl.

She forced herself not to look at him. She heard other students shuffling in and taking their seats, but she felt uneasy. Then, she realized it was because James was staring at her intently.

After a few minutes, Professor Babbling turned around and smiled at her class. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Your exam should be pretty easy this time 'round, so you could all be done in about an hour or so. Remember, absolutely no copying one another's work. When you are done, you may study for another class' exam, should you have any left, but I fully expect you to not utter word."

Then, the exams appeared on each student's desk and everyone began working. Everyone except Lily, that is. She could not focus. She started tapping her quill quietly. Apparently it wasn't quiet enough though, because after about a minute, she felt a warm hand on hers, stilling the jittery movements. As she looked into James' eyes, she could feel the electricity from his hand touching hers. It was driving her insane.

Lily laughed nervously. "Sorry."

"S'alright." Just then, someone entered the classroom. Every head whipped round to see who it was. Lo and behold, it was none other than Dumbledore, the Headmaster himself.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your exam, my dear Professor Babbling, but I must speak with Mr. Sirius Black in my office immediately. He will be excused from this Exam." Lily noticed that there was none of the usual sparkle in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. Whatever had happened, it was no joking matter. Sirius was really in for it this time. She turned to James, silently asking if he knew what had happened.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Evans. I have absolutely no idea what's going on."

She turned back to look at Dumbledore, who stepped aside to let Sirius out of the door first. They both left, and the door shut, leaving all the Seventh year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws to ponder what just happened.

After they had both turned in their exams, Lily and James began studying for Transfiguration. Or rather, Lily was studying, and James was trying to help her, as silently as possible. Transfiguration was his best subject. He never studied for that class and still managed to get top marks. When he grabbed her book to read something in it for a minute, she tried to grab it back from him. However, her sweater sleeve came up her arm a bit, exposing the bruise. She hastily jerked the offending limb to her chest. James looked at her quizzically, but said nothing, and placed the textbook back on the desk in front of her. _Whew, he didn't see._

She was just trying to pull her sweater sleeves over her hands so that they wouldn't fall down, when the door opened once again. And once again, there stood Dumbledore, except Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

When he spoke, although he addressed Professor Babbling, he was staring directly at Lily. "I'm so sorry about this again, Professor, but I must ask our Head Girl to come with me. Miss Evans, won't you follow?"

"Does the Head Boy need to come too?" she asked, hoping that this wasn't what she feared it was.

"No, just you, Miss Evans. Thank you."

Resigned, Lily grabbed her book and bag, and got up to follow the Headmaster wherever he was leading her. Once they were in the hallway, she started leading her in the direction of his office. Lily gulped. "I shall offer up no false pretense, Miss Evans. Something has been recently brought to my attention that is a very serious matter."

"Well then I think James should definitely be here."

"Alas, what I have to say is not for Mr. Potter's ears, seeing as what we will be discussing concerns you."

Gulp.

All too soon, the pair had arrived at the gargoyle door. "Cockroach clusters," he said, some of the typical sparkle coming back into his eyes. "I know they're not everyone's favorite thing, but I find they make a horribly amusing password," he said, seeing her confusion at his word choice. They stepped in and rode the first step all the way to the top.

Lily had been in his office many times before, as a prefect and as Head Girl. What struck her by surprise, though, was someone sitting in one of the chairs across from the Headmaster's desk. As the someone turned around, Lily became more confused than ever.

"Afternoon, Evans."

"Sirius?"


	9. Chapter 9

"Lily, my dear; please have a seat."

"Professor, what's going on?"

"All will be explained as soon as you sit down," he said, sitting down in the large, throne-like armchair that sat behind his desk. Lily sat down next to Sirius, albeit warily.

"Don't worry, Evans. There's no whoopee cushion there."

"I didn't think there—wait, how do _you_ know what a whoopee cushion is? Aren't you a Pureblood?"

"Please. Do you think that any self-respecting school prankster would not know all types of pranks out there—Wizard and Muggle pranks alike?"

"Touché." They heard the clearing of a throat, and both turned to face Dumbledore. Suddenly, all of Lily's worst fears came rushing back.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why Mr. Black is here. That, you will find out in a moment. Right now, I want to discuss a student I'm sure you're familiar with. A seventh year Hufflepuff by the name of Amos Diggory?"

Lily blanched. What the hell was happening?

"Well, I've known for quite sometime that the two of you are seeing each other, but Mr. Black here has brought it to my attention that that may not be entirely your choice."

Lily felt faint. Surely this wasn't happening.

"Or, if I may so bold to say, that you have had no say in the matter whatsoever."

Merlin almighty, please no.

"My dear, I want you to tell me everything that has happened."

Yes, this was definitely happening.

"How do _you_ know?" Lily accused Sirius. She kept it quiet! Remus swore he wouldn't tell a soul! If he did, she'd hex that boy into oblivion. For the second time that day, she fixed Sirius with a deadly glare, except his reaction to this one was different. It actually seemed to work on him this time. The twit at least had the good sense to look frightened out of his wits.

"Well you see…I was in the dorm when you and Moony walked in."

"YOU WERE WHAT?" He winced at the blood-curdling scream she let out. _Good. Now at least he knows how right ticked I am_, she thought.

"Well, you remember when I almost knocked you over on the way out of Potions? Well, I was trying to hurry to get to the Heads' dorm. James gave me the password, because I needed to get my Transfiguration textbook out of his room. I let him borrow it a while ago, since I never use the bloody thing, but McGonagall had told us specifically to bring it to the exam today. I was already in James' bedroom when the two of you walked in. Normally, I would've just walked out through the common room, but by the time I actually found the book, I heard Remus yelling. I knew only a fool would interrupt Remus when he's mad. I heard most of what was said."

Lily stood there, at a complete loss for all words or rational thought. She was absolutely thunderstruck. Flabbergasted. Borderline traumatized. _He heard almost everything._ Still, she couldn't be too sure.

"What exactly did you hear, Sirius?" She felt déjà vu. She asked almost the same thing to Amos the night he saw James transform.

"I heard Moony yell. Then, I heard you tell him that the only reason you were dating Amos is because he threatened James."

"Miss Evans," Dumbledore spoke up. "If that's true, and I need you to be completely honest with me, then you must tell me right now. If Mr. Diggory has threatened another student's life, then we must take very serious and immediate action."

Lily sighed. There was no escaping this now. "Well, Professor, that's not exactly true. Amos never threatened James face to face. One night, back in October, on the night of the full moon, James and I were doing patrols, except he had to leave to go help Remus. I've known about the four of you since early on in fifth year, so I knew what was up. I walked him to the school door, and he transformed into his stag and ran off. Unfortunately, I guess Amos was following us, because he was just…_there_ when I turned around. He saw James." As this, Sirius bristled. Dumbledore however just kept looking at her, and nodded his head, encouraging her to continue. "I tried to lie, to deny it, but he's too smart for that. I was going to Obliviate his memory, but then he- he attacked me." She barely managed to choke out the words. Tears began to well in her eyes for the third time that day. Next to her, she could feel Sirius tense even more. She remembered the pain and the fear she felt in the corridor that night; she never wanted to have to relive it again.

"He told me if I didn't date him, he'd report James to the Ministry. Thankfully, he doesn't know about any of the other Marauders." She smiled, or at least attempted to, at Sirius. "I threatened to come tell you, Professor, but I was scared that the Ministry might get to James first. I couldn't live with myself if James was thrown into Azkaban when there was something I could have done to prevent it."

"I'll hex that wanker," Sirius spat the insult, "into oblivion."

"We both know you can't do that, Mr. Black," Dumbledore warned softly. Sirius stood up so fast he knocked his chair over.

"And why the bloody hell can't I? He's threatened my best friend, and put someone else I care about into real danger," he yelled, gesturing to Lily at the latter part of his statement. That warmed her heart, even under the circumstances. Although he was a jokester and broke more rules on a daily basis than all the first years did throughout the year _combined_, he was a good guy, and she genuinely cared about him, too. Sirius continued on his rant. "I have every bloody right to hex his face into looking like one giant bogey for the rest of his life if I wanted to!"

Lily nearly laughed at that one. Nearly.

"Technically, Amos never actually _threatened_ James; he just said he'd report him to the ministry, which he has every right to do," Lily stated. Her fellow Gryffindor did not look happy about that. After a minute or so of silence, he finally reached down to pick up the chair he had knocked over, and sat back down.

"So, what do we do?"

"We can't do anything, Black."

"Miss Evans, I want you to finish your story."

When she told him the part about what had happened Monday night in the dorm, she was on the verge of crying. Nevertheless, she told him everything. By the time she had recounted the last bit of the story, the tears were flowing without limitation. Sirius sat there in his chair, a grave look on his face. Dumbledore nodded sympathetically. She could see the sadness in the old man's kind eyes.

"This is my last question, Lily dear. Did he do anything else to you? I understand if you would like to talk to someone else about it, but you're sure he never did anything more to you?"

"I'm sure Professor," she said. She had told them everything that he did on Monday night, including when he struck her, but that was all she was willing to tell.

"Well then. It seems as though we must Obliviate Mr. Diggory's memories so that he does not hurt anyone that any of us care about." The infamous sparkle in Dumbledore's eyes was coming back. "Lily, I want you to go back to your dorm for the rest of the day. I will have one of the house elves bring you whatever you wish for dinner. I can only imagine that you have had a very trying day, and you must be exhausted. You will be excused from your last exam; do not worry."

Lily breathed out a monstrous sigh of relief. Then the Headmaster continued, "Mr. Black, I want you to go and fetch Professor McGonagall from her classroom, and tell her I wish to speak with her immediately."

"Yes, sir." Sirius dashed out of the room like a lightning bolt.

"Umm, Professor?" Lily was hesitant.

"Yes, Miss Evans?"

"What's going to happen to Diggory?"

"We'll take care of everything, my dear. After Professor McGonagall arrives, Mr. Amos Diggory will be sent for. When he shows up in my office, we will stun him, and then Obliviate his memory."

"But will he remember dating me? Surely people would be asking about that?"

"Yes, we will ensure that he will remember all of that. But to him, it will seem as though the two of you dated for the same reasons most people date—a genuine mutual attraction. In his mind, you will have broken it off earlier today, so as not to arouse any suspicions."

"Thank you Professor. I really mean that."

"I know you do, my dear. I know you do."

With that, Lily left Dumbledore's office, hoping desperately to escape all the pain and confusion of the day. Her mind was buzzing. What would she tell everyone? She had spent so much time trying to convince her friends that she really liked Amos, and now, all of a sudden, they were calling it quits? Granted, Sirius and Remus would know the real reason, but would Marlene and Alice buy it? More importantly…would James?

Lily must've been more wrapped inside her own thoughts than she realized, because the moment she passed the gargoyle sitting at the entrance, she almost ran into Sirius. He was clearly waiting for her.

"I thought you were supposed to go get McGonagall."

"I thought you were supposed to be clever."

"What does you getting her have to do with my intelligence?" she snapped at him.

"Evans, you'd never do something this stupid."

"Like you really know me, Black."

"I know you well enough. I care about you, and I know that at least to some degree, you care about me, too." She opened her mouth with a retort on the tip of her tongue, but he quickly shut her up with, "I also know that you're in love with my best mate."

"Bugger. You heard that, too?"

With a smirk and a wink, he stated plainly, "Yes, but for the record, I didn't have to. I've known you fancied him since the end of last year." She struggled to come up with a retort to _that_. "It would seem, Evans, that I know you better than you think."

Lily hung her head. She was tired of fighting it. Remus had figured it out, and now Sirius was here telling her that he had known since before _she_ even knew. "You're right."

"I don't need to be told that, Evans. I already know I'm right."

"Thanks for the support, pal."

"You need to tell him."

"Are you bloody mad? Why in the name of Merlin almighty would I do that?"

"Because," he said as he stepped closer to her, "He's been in love with you since the day that he first saw you. He still is. He's confessed to you countless times. Whether or not you actually believed him is irrelevant. He confessed it, and that's all that matters. Now it's your turn."

"I can't do that, Sirius."

"And just why can't you?"

"Because, you know how James is. He's independent. He's too proud to ever ask for help. If he found out that I did something so stupid just to protect him, he'd be absolutely livid."

"I'm sure he would, but he'll get over it. Look, Evans. That night back in October, where James had to ditch his Head duties to come help out the rest of us, really got to him. After we left Moony in the hospital to recuperate, James couldn't shut up about you. He really thought he had a shot with you. Apparently, you said or did something to make him feel that way. I've never seen him so crushed as when he found out the next day that you were really dating some tosser."

"What makes you so sure he'll actually speak to me again?" Lily questioned, feeling increasingly hopeless with every second. There's no way James wouldn't be eternally mad.

"I just told you, Evans. He's _in love_ with you. Once he realizes that you did this out of love, he'll be too ecstatic to care. You really hurt him, but I know he'll forgive you. It might take time, but you have to be patient with him. Trust me on this." When she didn't respond, he said, "Evans, go get some rest. You need it." He hugged her tightly, and she felt oddly like she did when she hugged Remus—safe, protected, and like she had an older brother. As soon as they broke apart, he sprinted off towards McGonagall's classroom.


	10. Chapter 10

When the period for his Ancient Runes exam finally ended, James got up as quickly as possible and dashed out of the room. He needed to find _someone_ who knew what had happened to both Sirius and Lily. He started heading for McGonagall's classroom, since his next exam was Transfiguration. Maybe, since he'd be taking that exam with the Hufflepuffs, he'd be able to talk to Amos. Merlin knew James Potter hated Amos Diggory's guts. But, if it meant he knew that Lily was all right, then James would suck up his pride and talk to the twit.

When he finally got to the classroom, he was shocked to see his best friend, Sirius Black, running from the classroom, and Professor McGonagall trailing not far behind him. Normally James wouldn't have given a second thought to old Minnie chasing Padfoot around, especially with all the pranks he pulled constantly. What made him do a double take, though, was the fact that there was no sound coming from either of them. Typically, McGonagall would be yelling her head off, and Sirius' booming laughter could be heard throughout the entire castle. However, such was not the case this time. In fact, James swore that he had seen worry and even anger on Sirius' face. That was never a good sign.

James entered the classroom, somewhat warily since he was now without a teacher, and took a seat. Not sixty seconds later, the devil himself strode in—Diggory. The two boys were completely alone. Normally, he tried to avoid the Hufflepuff student, but he _needed_ to know what was going on.

"Diggory, I have a question for you."

"And just what could the almighty James Potter wish to ask little insignificant me?" Diggory drawled, batting his eyelashes like some stupid, swooning teenage girl.

"It's about Lily." He could see the Hufflepuff tense up.

"Go on."

"Well, where is she?" Diggory's back straightened like a board, and he went completely still.

When he spoke, his voice was low. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Diggory, I'm serious. Where is she?"

"Look, Potter. I know you like her and all, but she's with me now. Quit keeping tabs on her. She's not yours to worry about."

"I don't care if she's _mine_, you prat. She's my friend, and I care about her. I want to know what happened in Ancient Runes and where the hell she is."

"Oh, give it up, Potter. The entire school, save Evans herself, knows you like her, and you—wait, what do you mean, 'what happened in Ancient Runes?'"

"You didn't hear? Dumbledore came in and asked her to come with him. I assume they went to his office. She never returned."

James could see that Diggory was starting to get fidgety. "So? She's Head Girl, Potter. It's probably Head business or something."

"It's not."

"And you know this because?"

"_Because_, when Lily asked if I should be there too, Dumbledore explicitly said that I shouldn't. If it were really Head duties, he would've gotten the both of us. Plus, when she left, she looked terrified; like she knew something terrible was about to happen. I want to know what that something terrible was."

"How do you know something terrible actually did happen? You're probably just making all this up to get a reaction out of me. You really need to get a life, Potter. And stay away from her, or so help me—"

"Or what, Diggory? Are you going to report me to the Ministry for talking to your girlfriend?"

Diggory laughed. And laughed. Like a madman. James had no clue what he could've said that would've been so funny.

"I'm sorry, do I amuse you?" He really was at a loss. One minute, Lily's boyfriend was about to threaten him, and the next he was laughing. _What?_

As Diggory wiped an imaginary tear of mirth from his eye, a smirk graced his annoying, shrewish face. "As a matter of fact, you do. If only you knew the beautiful irony of what you just said, Potter."

"And just what the bloody hell do you mean by that?" As he said this, James stepped closer and closer to Diggory. The other boy, not one to cower from a fight, stood up taller and met the Head Boy eye to eye. Suddenly, James saw something in the Hufflepuff's eyes flash. He had seen it many times before.

"You've been cursed." James said, partly with shock, and partly with horror.

"What are you talking about, Potter?" Diggory spat. "You're out of your bloody mind."

James, acting quickly, grabbed his wand, ready to release whatever curse had been placed on the kid, when Diggory drew his wand also, and pointed it directly at James' face.

"Try anything, and you will regret it," he said through clenched teeth. But of course, James Potter didn't listen, as James Potter never does. He shot his hand up to grab Diggory's wand before he got off a spell, and aimed a powerful stunning spell at him. The red beam of light hit the Hufflepuff right in the forehead. He'd be out for a while.

_What the bloody hell is happening here? I try to find out what's up with Lily, only to discover her boyfriend is cursed. And I just knocked him out. Well, bollocks. _

James knew he had to get him to Madame Pomfrey. She'd be able to figure out what to do. He could worry about the exam later. He shrunk down his book bag to fit in the pocket of his school robes, and then slung Diggory over his shoulder to get him down to the hospital wing. He made a mad dash for the door, trying desperately to avoid the queer stares he was receiving from other students. This probably looked really bad.

When he got to the hospital wing, he laid Diggory down on an empty bed. Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen, so he assumed that she was likely in one of the school greenhouses to get some herbs for her medicine cabinet. Seeing as Diggory's condition was not life threatening, he really didn't mind. James knew that he had to tell Professor Dumbledore immediately. What if, since someone had cursed Diggory, they had cursed Lilly too? _Merlin forbid_ was the only thought that ran through James' mind when he thought of someone cursing Lily.

James conjured up his Patronus and told it the message for the Headmaster. Now, the only thing left for him to do was wait. He sat down in a chair right next to the bed. Frustrated, he ran a hair through his black hair. Every time he did it, he reminded himself to stop, but it was always a mess anyway, so there was no point in trying to break the habit.

About ten minutes later, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and (once again) Sirius Black came rushing through the doors, one after another. As the three approached, Dumbledore quickly thanked James and asked him to step away for a moment while he and Professor McGonagall would talk. He readily agreed, and then grabbed Sirius by the arm and dragged him to the opposite side of the room.

"Padfoot? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same bloody thing, Prongs! You realize how bad this looks, right? Dumbledore and McGonagall were just about to go get the git when all of a sudden, your Patronus comes storming in, telling us that he's been cursed, and you're with him in the hospital wing. What the bloody hell happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure. That's just the problem. Wait, what do you mean, they were 'just about to get the git?' What has he done?"

"Prongs, I'm afraid I can't say."

"What the bloody hell do you mean you can't say?"

"Lower your voice you bloody twit! Do you want them to hear us?" Sirius whispered harshly. If one even could whisper harshly.

"Padfoot, I'm serious." At the glint in his best friend's eyes, he quickly said with finality, "This is no joking matter. One minute I was asking Amos about Lily, the next I find out—" James stopped short. The look on Sirius' face told him he that hit a nerve. "Sirius, what's wrong?"

"Since when do you call me Sirius, Prongs?"

"Since when do you get uptight when I mention Diggory? or dodge my questions?"

"I wasn't dodging, and I didn't 'get uptight' when you mentioned Diggory." The name, James noticed, was laced with such venom that James took a conscious step back from his friend.

"Then why did you look like you were about to be sick?"

"It's personal, Prongs."

"Padfoot, nothing is personal to you."

"Yes, but this particular situation is not _my_ personal issue. It's not my place to say anything."

"Then why the hell are you in on whatever scheme it was to go get Diggory for whatever reason?"

"Look, I'm not saying anything until I get Dumbledore's permission. I swore to him I wouldn't say anything about it. I've never broken a promise in my life, and I'm not about to start with this." Sirius' tone implied that none of what he just said was a negotiable matter, and James knew it.

With a resigned sigh, James nodded his head. "I understand."

Just at that moment, they heard a groaning coming from Diggory's bed. Both boys whipped their head round to see what was happening, when suddenly, the groaning stopped. Apparently, one of the professors (they weren't sure which one) had knocked him out again. James wasn't about to complain.

"Er…is everything all right?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

"Perfectly fine, Mr. Black."

Dumbledore called Madame Pomfrey, who had finally arrived, over to Diggory's bed and asked if she could cast a sleeping charm over the Hufflepuff boy. Despite the look of sheer confusion on her face, she complied, and McGonagall dismissed her.

Once the nurse left the room, the two teenage boys summed up every ounce of their Gryffindor courage and approached the two professors.

"Wh-What's going on, Headmaster?"

"Madame Pomfrey has just placed a rather powerful sleeping charm on Mr. Diggory, so he won't wake up while we speak. In fact, he likely won't wake up for several hours. Now, Mr. Potter, it is imperative that you tell me exactly how you discovered this information. Please, do not leave any details you think may be crucial to your story." James noticed, with some alarm, that the usual sparkle in the old man's eyes was completely absent. That was a terrifying realization.

"Well, sir, I guess I should start with when you came to get Sirius. I thought it was a bit unusual that you were coming to get him, since he hadn't pulled any pranks—at least not to my knowledge. But, I figured since you know, it's Sirius, there was probably something he did that I missed; so I brushed it off. But then, you came back in, a long while later, and he wasn't with you. I got really worried that you called Lily, but not me as well, and the look on her face seemed like…" James stopped.

"Like what, Mr. Potter?"

"Well, sir, she looked like she was heading to the executioner's block. It was as if she knew exactly what was about to happen and she looked bloody _terrified_. That's when I knew something was up. When class got out, I headed to the Transfiguration classroom, and Diggory walked in, since he had that exam as well. I asked if he knew what happened to Lily, and we started arguing. I didn't even realize it, but somehow I got close enough to look him in the eyes, and I saw it."

"What exactly did you see, my boy?"

"The Imperius Curse, sir." He heard McGonagall gasp, and saw Dumbledore close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose. Sirius stood silently.

"Are you absolutely positive, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked softly.

James nodded as he replied, "I'm sure, Professor. I'd never miss something like that."

"But, how do you know what such a thing looks like?" He saw her eyes narrow.

"Really, Professor? I know I've had my fair share of days as the school bully, but I'd never _Imperio_ anyone. Besides, what could I possibly have to gain by cursing Diggory?" When McGonagall didn't answer, he continued, "My parents are both Aurors. They made me learn how to recognize and avoid signs of dark magic since before I could walk. The Imperius Curse is one you definitely never forget. They practically drilled that one into my head." He stopped for another brief moment and turned to look at Diggory, out cold on the bed. "His eyes had this glassy look in them, like he wasn't all there. Whoever put it on him must've been really good, because they tried to cover their tracks. When I said it, he immediately denied it, and said I was crazy. But I know I'm not crazy; I know what I saw."

Everyone was so silent, James swore he could've heard a pin drop, even if it were in the next room. "If you don't believe me, get an Auror here. They know tons of spells that reveal curses and dark magic."

"I believe you, Mr. Potter." James' head snapped up so fast, he got whiplash. He looked into the twinkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore, and felt much more confident.

"Thank you, sir."

"As do I, Mr. Potter. I'm very sorry for doubting you. Please understand, however, why I said what I did." Professor McGonagall added.

"I'm sorry Professor. I do understand why you would be suspicious. How many teenagers actually know what the effects of dark magic look like, right? I don't blame you for questioning me." Although her remark had stung, James truly did understand where she was coming from. Then, he remembered the conversation he and Sirius had only minutes ago. "Er…if it's not too much trouble to ask, what does all of this have to do with Lily?"


End file.
